Today Roke Manor’s fields are covered in a tranquil sea of grass blowing in the wind, with tree saplings growing in the distance.
It is hard to imagine that two years ago this was a churned-up home for 600 pigs, whose nitrogen-rich excrement used to wash down to one of England’s globally rare chalk streams, the River Test. Removing that nutrient pollution has not only improved the view, but allowed an estimated 1,500 homes to be built in the nearby town of Romsey by relieving pressure on waterways.
The pioneering scheme in Hampshire offers a potential solution to how Britain can have both clean rivers and new homes.
The Home Builders Federation claims 145,000 homes are being blocked by “nutrient neutrality” rules imposed by 74 local planning authorities to protect rivers and seas. The rules ban any extra pollution from the lavatories, showers and washing machines of new homes unless it is counterbalanced by a matching cut in pollution elsewhere in the catchment.
Under pressure from developers, Rishi Sunak is “minded” to favour watering down the rules, which could lead to more polluted rivers and seas.